Before I began this make, I sampled a wedge of Pont l’Eveque that I was fortunate to buy at the same time and place that I bought the milk and cream. This gives me a clearer sense of what track I should be following. I took note of the rind color and texture. I tasted the cheese very simply with fresh crusty bread. The taste was creamy and had no acidic bite, but was sweet with adequate saltiness. The texture was soft but firm and not oozy but a little sticky as it warmed to room temperature. The cheese was spreadable at room temperature and the rind was enjoyable as well.

"Pont l'Eveque is a French cheese. It is believed that its name is derived from 'Norman abbey' in Normandy, France where it was mainly produced during the 12th century. The cheese is also known as Moyaux cheese.Probably one of the oldest cheeses of that area, Pont l'Eveque was called as d'Angelot during ancient days. Made from cow's milk, this cheese is manufactured throughout the year. Small, square shaped Pont l'Eveque is of pale yellow color while its rind has white-orange color.A soft and very rich cheese with creamy and full-bodied flavor, tastes best when eaten at room temperature. It is an excellent dessert cheese, which goes well with a robust wine.· Made from cow's milk· Country of origin: France· Region: Basse-Normandie· Alternative spellings: Moyaux cheese· Type: soft· Fat content: 45%· Texture: creamy· Rind: washed· Color: pale yellow"

=============================================================== "Pont-l'évêque - Named after the village in Normandy where it supposedly first appeared, this cheese is one of the most popular in France. An old cheese, it dates from at least the 12th century, when it was made by monks; it was once known as 'white meat' as it was eaten instead of meat on fasting days .. Pont l'évêque is a cow's milk cheese, with a full, rich, sweet, slightly tangy flavour profile and a thin brownish rind; it is very similar to livarot, another washed-rind......"

"Pont-l'Évêque is a French cheese, originally manufactured in the area around thecommune of Pont-l'Évêque, between Deauville and Lisieux in the Calvados départementof Basse-Normandie. It is probably the oldest Norman cheese still in production.[1]Pont-l'Évêque is an uncooked, unpressed cow's-milk cheese, square in shape usually at around 10 cm square and around 3 cm high, weighing 400g. The central pâte is soft, creamy pale yellow in colour with a smooth, fine texture and has a pungent aroma. This is surrounded by a washed rind that is white with a gentle orange-brown coloration. The whole is soft when pressed but lacks elasticity. It is generally ranked alongside Brie,Camembert, and Roquefort as one of the most popular cheeses in France."

4:50PMFlocculation occurs at 20 minutes.Using a 5x factor, time to cut is at 6:10PM (100 minutes).

6:10PMMade crosshatch vertical cuts, but no horizontal cuts.Rested curds for 10 minutes.Scooped curd into Plyban-lined brick mould.Allowing for settling and pulling up Plyban on sides, the brick mould was filled.One Camembert mould was pressed into service to accommodate extra curd, and it too was filled.

My intent is to create two cheese styles with this make. The two square cheeses will be the Pont l’Eveque. The Cam-moulded cheese will be dosed with Blue Castello cheese slurry.

6:30PMCurds to moulds was complete.Flipped moulds every 1-2 hours.

March 14 7:00PMMoved moulds to minicaves and into cave network.

March 15 7:00AMFlipped, dried – looking good, firm, but still needs to lose whey. Poured off several tablespoons of collected whey.

Hi Boofer! Thanks for the introduction to a new cheese! The versions you made are a lot thicker....are you going to slice them into shorter pieces? Is the SR3 a mild mix? For some reason I thought that one created a stronger stinky flavor bit here you are using it in the make of a mild tasting cheese. I may have to reconsider it now.

Looking forward to photos of this make as you coddle it into magnificence.

Hi Kathrin. The cheeses you see are still very young and still losing whey and shrinking. I am hopeful that once they have completed that part of the process and have been salted that they will assume the form factor that the style requires. No, I will not be slicing them further. As it is, the one cut side will be a challenge to heal properly.

The SR3 is the only linens I had on hand except for two varieties in my PLA and I didn't want the extra baggage that the PLA brought. With a little care and control of the rind maintenance it should be okay. I just want the barest hint of reddish color under the spreading Geo. Sounds somewhat lyrical, huh?

With the morning flip & dry-down, all three cheeses are looking good. They're still draining a bit of whey. Tomorrow is the fifth day, when they are supposed to be salted, but I want to make sure that they get the time they need to properly dispense with the whey...and shrink.

Awesome make! I am tempted to give something like this a try. Does this taste anything like a taleggio?

I want to make another bloomy type, but want to try something other than a camembert...I like the look of the rind in the pics you provided. A hint of reddish with the white geo covering. The paste looks really nice also.

I picture a rich, creamy mouthfeel and flavor combined with a hint of mushrooms and loamy earth.

Hi Kathrin. The cheeses you see are still very young and still losing whey and shrinking. I am hopeful that once they have completed that part of the process and have been salted that they will assume the form factor that the style requires. No, I will not be slicing them further. As it is, the one cut side will be a challenge to heal properly.

The SR3 is the only linens I had on hand except for two varieties in my PLA and I didn't want the extra baggage that the PLA brought. With a little care and control of the rind maintenance it should be okay. I just want the barest hint of reddish color under the spreading Geo. Sounds somewhat lyrical, huh?

With the morning flip & dry-down, all three cheeses are looking good. They're still draining a bit of whey. Tomorrow is the fifth day, when they are supposed to be salted, but I want to make sure that they get the time they need to properly dispense with the whey...and shrink.

-Boofer-

I hope they lose enough whey. I've had trouble with this part of make during the dry air of our wood heating season. My fingers are crossed for you!

Awesome make! I am tempted to give something like this a try. Does this taste anything like a taleggio?

I want to make another bloomy type, but want to try something other than a camembert...I like the look of the rind in the pics you provided. A hint of reddish with the white geo covering. The paste looks really nice also.

I picture a rich, creamy mouthfeel and flavor combined with a hint of mushrooms and loamy earth.

When I went to flip the cheeses and dry them last night, I detected some Geo coming into play.

I decided to go ahead and salt them. That was last night. This morning they have given up a bit more whey and were "sweating" just a bit. I flipped them but did not dry them or the minicave, sticking to the recipe instructions to let them sit in their brine for a day.

You know, I had the impression of an asteroid speeding past earth just then.

If you look at that big-font word "Photos" it looks like the name of one of Jupiter's moons, especially if you squint and turn your head just this way....

Wait just a minute and I'll have a picture of a pile of salt in the bowl I used. That oughta hold her!

-Boofer-

Ooh, sorry. Hope that didn't hurt your eyes! I wanted to see how much your little cheesies had drained, whether they'd gotten as thin as that one you bought to taste. Enquiring minds.....and all that. I'm distracted.....thinking of how on earth I could make a lavender bloom encrusted hard cheese. I guess I'll go for a Caerphilly perhaps, or maybe a white bloomy. Sorry, in my distraction I wrote too loud big. I'll do 40 "Hail Cheeses" to show penitence.

I'm distracted.....thinking of how on earth I could make a lavender bloom encrusted hard cheese.

Lay back there on the couch and tell me more about this dream of yours....

-Boofer-

(reclining with a deep, sorrowful sigh) "Well, it all started when I was a little girl and loved finger painting using lavender colored paint."

Nope! Actually it was just today while talking to another cheesemaker and telling her about the lavender and espresso (or was it coffee?) bean cheese that some creamery makes. I think it's called Lavender Buzz or something. Anyway.....mentioning it made me want to create something like that. I've since evolved my dream to maybe even be a PC with a Star Anise in the middle of the cheese and then encrusting the edges with lavender flowers. Wondering about a quick heat treat of the dried flowers to remove any mold hitchhikers. (wonder on temp and time for that) and wondering how to make the dried lavender buds stick to the sides. Do I wait for some bloom? Or use honey? Would the honey mess up the PC? My mind is SO busy today. Plus as you know....I'm way out there with wild ideas. I'd be better behaved if I dulled my imagination by watching television but I can't bring myself to do that. Hope it doesn't cause too much suffering for you to see my whacko ideas in print and then in photos. sigh.

'tis a breath of fresh air, Kathrin. Thank you for your humor and inspired ideas.

Okay, still working on the salting/brining shrinking form factor, but I did snap some pics this afternoon upon my return from the Salt Factory.

Probably tomorrow I'll mop off the moisture and move towards drying the cheeses a bit. At that point I can start thinking about rind development. As I said earlier, the Geo had started to show its cards. With a little encouragement, I'm sure it will reappear with its friend, B. linens.

Today when I extracted the minicaves from the cave network and removed the lids...OMG!! What a wonderful aroma. Hey, maybe that's why they call it "Aroma B"!

After visiting the first cheese shop in my life on Saturday, I decided I needed a "to try" list to take with me next time. Boofer--this cheese reminded me about that list and is now the first item. Thanks, it looks fantastic!